Chapter 20: Their last hope

The wind howled through the rubble of devastated Salem. The storm continued, but its fury had diminished slightly. Amid the rain and chaos, Myeong, her mother, Ethan, and Jason struggled forward, dodging building debris, overturned cars, and the bodies of those who weren't so lucky.

Finally, they reached Gym 2340.

The structure seemed to have withstood the storm's toll better than other buildings, though some windows were broken and water was seeping through the roof.

Myeong pushed open the doors with difficulty, and everyone entered without a word.


The sound of the storm continued to rage outside.

Inside the gym, the silence was worse.

The group stood, staring at the vast, empty court, lit only by the flashes of lightning that filtered through the cracks in the ceiling.

No one spoke.

Because they all knew the truth.

It didn't matter what they did.

It didn't matter how hard they ran.

Death would catch up with them.

Ethan sighed and slumped into the stands.

"I'm next." His voice sounded strangely calm, resigned.

Myeong looked down.

"Even if we found a way to save you... Death would just jump to the next one on the list." It was hard to say, but it had to be done. She looked at her mother, who was staring at her, her eyes wide with horror. "And after you, Ethan... it's my turn."

Her mother shook her head violently.

"No, Myeong... don't say that..."

Jason crossed his arms and let out a bitter laugh.

"And after you, Myeong... he'll come back for us again. For me. For Ethan. No matter what we do."

A heavy silence fell.

A silence filled with hopelessness.

Myeong's mother approached her daughter and hugged her tightly, as if she could protect her from the inevitable.

"I'm not going to lose you." Her voice was a desperate whisper, her hands shaking.

Myeong felt a pang of pain in her chest.

She didn't want to die.

No one did.

But what else could they do?

Ethan ran a hand down his face, exhaling heavily.

"Well... at least we tried, right?"

Jason laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah. No one can say we didn't. After all the deaths of our friends... it's impossible to say we didn't try to survive."

They fell silent.

But then...

Myeong raised her head.

Something about Jason's words...

After the gym... they thought they'd gotten a second chance at life...

The new life.

Her heart started beating faster.

"Wait."

Jason looked at her wearily.

"What?"

Myeong bolted upright.

"Bludworth..."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"What's with that bastard?"

Myeong glared at him.

"Only new life can defeat Death."

There was a moment of confusion.

Jason frowned.

"What are you saying?"

Ethan snorted and shrugged.

"If you're suggesting we have a baby now, Myeong... let me tell you, it's a little late to start considering parenthood. And besides, I don't want my cause of death to be your mother beating me to death."

Despite everything, Myeong almost smiled.

"No, Ethan... I think there's another way."

Her mother frowned.

"Another way...?"

Myeong took a deep breath.

"If we want to live... we have to die first."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Jason looked at her as if she were crazy.

Ethan blinked several times.

"Excuse me, but... what?"

Myeong's mother paled.

"Myeong... tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

Myeong clenched her fists.

"Think about it. Bludworth never lies. The only way to cheat Death... is to gain a new life. But what if... we restart our lives ourselves?"

Jason let out an incredulous laugh.

"We kill ourselves and come back? Yeah, right, easy peasy! Let me get a syringe of adrenaline, and that's it!"

Myeong stared at him.

"It's not as absurd as it sounds. Those who have been declared clinically dead and come back... have technically gained a new life."

Ethan stopped laughing.

The gears in his head began to turn.

"Wait... are you saying that if... if we die for a moment and then come back... Death will leave us alone?"

Myeong nodded.

"It's possible. And it's our only chance."

Jason swallowed.

"That sounds like too big a gamble."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah... and if we fail, we just die."

Myeong gently took her mother's hands.

"Mom, it's all up to you now. You're the only one not on Death's list. You're the only one who can resurrect us without Death interfering."

Myeong's mother clung to her daughter.

"But you're my daughter! I can't let you do this, Myeong!"

Myeong looked at her sweetly, but determinedly.

"Mom... if we don't do this, I'm going to die anyway."

Her mother felt the ground crumble beneath her feet.

Because she knew her daughter was right.

Myeong looked at Ethan and Jason.

"We have to do this. It's our only way out."

Jason closed his eyes.

Ethan exhaled slowly.

They knew she was crazy.

But what other choice did they have?


The group got to work.

There was a small first-aid kit in one of the gym's offices, but it wasn't enough. They needed epinephrine auto-injectors.

"Athletes usually keep them in their lockers," Jason said as he swung open the metal doors.

But time was running out.

Death wasn't going to let them get away with it.


The first to fall into his trap was Ethan.

When he opened a locker, a heavy 25kg weight fell from the top.

For a second, he froze.

The metal descended rapidly, aiming directly for his skull.

"Ethan!" Myeong shouted.

The boy jumped to the side at the last second.

CLANG!

The weight hit the floor and split a tile in two.

Ethan exhaled sharply.

"That was too close."

Jason, meanwhile, was trying to pick the lock on another locker with a crowbar.

But he didn't notice that, just above, a light fixture on the ceiling was swaying dangerously.

The wires sizzled, emitting tiny flashes of electricity.

Myeong looked up.

Her eyes widened in terror.

"Jason, back off!"

CRACK.

The lamp fell.

Jason dove back at the last second.

The fluorescent tube exploded upon impact with the floor, sending a flurry of sharp glass flying in all directions.

One grazed Jason's cheek, leaving a bloody cut.

"Fuck!"

The spark from the lamp didn't go out.

The bare wires, still energized, made contact with a box of flammable material.

Within seconds, a blaze erupted.

The flames quickly spread across the wooden furniture and vinyl flooring.

Myeong felt her throat close with smoke.

"The fire! We have to get out of here!"

But the only exit was blocked by the flames.

Jason banged on an emergency door.

"It won't open!"

Myeong's mother, still on the other side of the room, searched desperately for a way to help them.

"I'll find another way out!"

But something worse happened.

A shadow appeared in the smoke, moving as if with a will of its own. It was the same shadow that had been chasing Myeong.

It slipped between them, dark and ethereal, but with an undeniable presence.

Jason froze.

"No..."

Myeong felt a chill run down her spine.

The shadow stretched, slowly approaching.

Death had found them.


Myeong's mother couldn't reach them.

But she had the epinephrine auto-injectors.

And they needed them now.

The flames were too intense.

The heat burned her skin.

But she wasn't going to lose them. Not now.

"Myeong!" she shouted.

The girl raised her head.

"Catch them!"

Myeong's mother covered her mouth with her arm and forced herself as close to the flames as possible.

The injectors were in a cloth bag.

If she failed to throw them, it would all be over.

She took a breath.

She ignored her fear.

And threw the bag.

The cloth rose into the air, crossing the inferno between them.

For a second, it looked like the flames would devour her.

But Myeong caught her.

"I got it!"

Jason and Ethan crawled toward her.

Myeong took out the auto-injectors.

One for each of them.

Ethan swallowed.

"Okay... here we go."

Jason closed his eyes.

"If we die, I hope I don't see you in hell."

Myeong exhaled.

"One..."

Ethan held up the shot.

"Two..."

Jason held his tightly.

"Three."

All three of them injected themselves at the same time.

The effect was immediate.

Their hearts raced.

A sharp pain shot through their bodies.

Their lungs closed.

Myeong felt everything around her go black.

And then, silence.


The gymnasium fell silent.

The fire flickered for a moment... and then, as if it had lost its purpose, it began to die down.

The air grew thick and heavy.

The shadow lurking behind the flames slowly slipped back, vanishing into the darkness.

Myeong's mother looked down at her daughter and the boys, whose bodies now lay inert on the floor.

"No... no... NO!"

She fell to her knees, her eyes wide and her heart pounding.

Trembling, she pulled out her phone and with clumsy fingers dialed 911.

"I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" she yelled at the operator. "THREE KIDS... THEY'RE... THEY'RE...!"

She couldn't say it.

She couldn't accept what she saw before her.

Tears streaming down her face, she leaned over Myeong, placing her hands on his chest.

"No... don't go, please..."

She desperately began chest compressions.

"One, two, three... Myeong, come back!"

She turned to Ethan and Jason, sobbing.

"Please, guys... don't leave me..."

She continued the compressions, ignoring the pain in her arms, ignoring the fear, ignoring the feeling of emptiness that threatened to devour her.

The ambulance sirens began to wail in the distance.

But it was still unknown if they would arrive in time.

If Myeong, Ethan, and Jason would return.

If Death had truly been tricked.